


The Light That's Needed to Heal

by ZanzaFlux



Series: Shadows of the Studio [6]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Alternate Universe - 2D Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine), Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Ink!Henry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 11:12:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14933141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanzaFlux/pseuds/ZanzaFlux
Summary: Everyone made it home safe and sound after their harrowing ordeal at The Studio.  Now,  it's time to heal.





	The Light That's Needed to Heal

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place right after We Will Face the Darkness, Together. It's based on the 2D Bendy and Ink!Henry AUs created by @shinyzango and @themarginalartist on tumblr. Their work really inspired me.

It took them a few hours, but they made it home safe and sound. Everyone was tired as they shuffled into the house. Henry and Bendy took the girls upstairs to clean up while Jason got June a change of clothes and helped her freshen up downstairs. He didn’t want her trying to climb the stairs even if she complained that she would be fine. They needed to clean up so they didn’t have to explain why everyone was covered in ink to the doctors.

June tried to convince the girls to stay home with Henry and Bendy, but they refused to let their mother out of their sight. In truth, no one wanted to split up so they piled back into ‘Lucy’ and headed for the emergency room.

The doctor didn’t look too convinced by the story Jason and June concocted but left it alone. The group took a seat in the waiting room for almost an hour before June was placed in a room. Henry waited outside with the kids as the doctor talked to June and Jason. A nurse gave June some painkillers and let her rest as she wait to be taken in for x-rays.

The room was a little small, but everyone managed to fit in it somehow. Jason and Henry grabbed a few chairs and the girls carefully sat on the edge of the hospital bed as June slept.

Another hour went by before an orderly took June to the x-ray department. While they waited, Jason grabbed a few snacks from a vending machine down the hall. Even if they were all dead tired, no one passed up the tasty snacks. June was brought back to the room twenty minutes later. Everyone slipped into a light slumber as they waited for the doctor to return with the results.

 ***knock, knock, knock*** “Mrs. Anderson?” Everyone stirred at the sound of the doctor's voice. He was an older gentleman with short grey hair and glasses. Jason reached over and shook June lightly until she opened her eyes. The doctor walked into the room and looked over his notes.

“I have the results of your x-rays…” he adjusted his glasses and looked at everyone in the room. His stare seemed to linger on Bendy a little longer than was comfortable. “Is it alright to discuss this with everyone here?” Jason said yes as he reached out and took June's hand. The girls sat on the bed near their mom and Bendy sat in a chair next to Henry. The toon could feel an anxiousness and dread radiating from his friend. It was making him very nervous.

The doctor cleared his throat and stared down at his clipboard before continuing. “Your x-rays show that you have three cracked ribs. Unfortunately, there is very little we can do for that save for give you some pain medication and applying ice packs when needed.” June grimaced and Jason squeezed her hand.

“The cuts on your shoulder are deep enough that you'll need stitches, but not deep enough to cause any permanent nerve damaged. As for your ankle, we can straighten that out and wrap it in a cast.” The doctor looked June right in the eyes. “Besides the medication and ice packs, you need to rest. That means you have to stay off that foot and not picking up heavy objects to put as little stress as possible on your shoulder and ribs. In other words, you need time to heal so don’t try to do too much for the next couple of months or so.”

June chuckled. She didn’t like the thought of sitting around and doing nothing for months, but she would try. “Don’t worry doctor. We'll make sure she takes it easy.” June shot Jason a look of betrayal but he just raised an eyebrow at her. The doctor told her to get some rest and he would be back later to take care of her shoulder and ankle.  After he left the room, June relaxed and sunk into the hospital bed. She was glad she didn’t have to have any surgery done.

Bendy knew she was hurt, he just didn’t realize how bad it was. The feelings of anger and self loathing swimming through their bond made him shudder. The toon asked Henry if he was alright and all his friend could do was shake his head and say that they will talk about it later. It frustrated the little toon but he knew this wasn’t the best place to talk about it, so he let it go…for now.

An hour later, the doctor came back with a nurse. She was carrying a tray with bandages, needles, and various other things. June whimpered softly but Jason assured her that he wouldn’t leave her side. Henry took Bendy, Sarah, and Beth to the cafeteria to get something to eat. In truth, he didn’t want the girls to see the doctor working on their mother.

Henry took the time out to explain to the children how their mom will need a lot of rest when they get home. The girls seemed to understand. Neither one wanted to see her in pain. Even Bendy promised he'd help out. That made Henry smile.

An hour later, he took the group back to the room only to find June asleep and Jason looking completely exhausted. He had his head bowed and was holding her hand. Henry asked Bendy and the girls to look after June while he took Jason to get a cup of coffee.

Bendy watched as both men shuffled out of the room. Jason looked very tired and worried. He definitely needed some rest.

“Beth…Sarah?” June's eyes were barely open and her voice was very weak. Both girls jumped onto the bed and hugged their mother. June chuckled and had to warn them to be careful. The toon demon sat in the hospital chair and watched as the girls curled up on the bed. He could hear them sobbing softly as June held them. Bendy sighed and looked away. He felt like he could have done more to protect his family. He could have lost everyone and that thought made his heart twist.

“Bendy?” The little toon startled at the soft sound of June's voice. He looked up to see her staring at him. She gave him a warm smile and waved for him to come closer. Beth and Sarah were curled up against her, sound asleep.

June reached out with a shaky arm. “Come here. I-It's okay.” Bendy looked a little unsure. He rung his gloved hands together as he came closer. He stood a little closer to the edge of her bed.

June sighed and wrapped her arm around him. “Thank you. Thank you so much… You saved my girls. I would have lost them if it wasn’t for you.” she whispered softly to him. The little toon gasped. He shuffled and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his gloved hand. June managed scoot back enough to make a little more room on the bed. She patted the empty space and the little toon took the invitation. Bendy felt a warmth blossom in his chest. He never thought he'd find himself surrounded by so much family…so much love. He didn’t think it was possible. The little toon curled up against June and the girls and felt himself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 

Henry and Jason sat in the lobby, sipping on their cooling coffee. As tough as it was to make it out of the Studio, they still managed to laugh at how things might go from here on out. They both knew how stubborn June was and that she'll act like she can do everything without help from others.

“She’s gonna be a pain in the butt. Y'know that, right?” Jason snickered at his brother-in-law.

“Yeah, I know. Don’t worry though. I have a plan.” Jason finished off his cup of coffee. “She’s not gonna be happy, but she won’t have much choice.” Both men decided it was time to head back to the room to check on everyone.

They were surprised when they found Beth, Sarah, and Bendy curled up on the bed with June. They were all sound asleep. There was a great deal of warmth flowing through their bond. Henry couldn’t help but smile and he knew everything would be fine. He watched as Jason quietly approached the girls and placed a kiss on top of their heads. He ruffled his fingers between Bendy's horns. The little toon hummed softly and his smile grew a little wider. Jason leaned in close and whispered something to June. Her eyes fluttered opened and Jason was close enough to give her a kiss.

Henry sat down and let his mind wander. He felt incredibly lucky. In spite of everything, he didn’t loose them. In fact, he'd grown even closer to them than before. It's not just him. It was a little rough in the beginning, but they even took Bendy in. The toon had never felt so happy or protective. Ever since what happened between him and the girls in the woods, the little toon seemed to take full responsibility for them.

Henry sighed and tried to relax in the somewhat uncomfortable hospital chair. In a few hours, they will be allowed to go home, and the real challenge will begin. June will try to act like everything is fine instead of relaxing like the doctor ordered. He will only be able to stay another week or so, but then he’s got to head back home. He'd hate to leave his sister like this, but he has to get back to work too. Henry rubbed at his eyes. No sense in worrying about it now. Jason said he had a plan. He seemed confident that it'll all work out.

**-The Next Morning-**

The doctor gave June instructions to stay off her foot and prescription for painkillers. There wasn’t much that could be done about her ribs except give them time to heal. He wanted to see her again in a few weeks to check her shoulder and her ankle. The doctor couldn’t stress enough that she needed to take it easy and let others help her. Even though June agree to the doctor's demands, Henry and Jason could tell by the look in her eyes that she was ready to disobey him.

Soon, they all piled into ‘Lucy’ and headed back home.

As soon as they stepped into the house, Jason made June sit down in the living room while Henry slipped into the kitchen to fix something for lunch. Bendy and the girls kept her company…and distracted.

Lunch wasn’t as lively as it usually was but it wasn’t a bad thing. They all seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. They were home and safe. The Studio was far behind them. They would all be alright.

June was a little frustrated that they wouldn’t let her at least fix dinner that evening. The girls had to remind her what the doctor said. She chuckled at how serious they were taking this. June admitted defeat and let the guys fix dinner. She just hoped they didn’t ruin her kitchen in the process.

Bedtime rolled around and the screams started. The girls started having nightmares. The adults had hoped that wouldn’t happen, but even they couldn’t escape it. June would wake up and bury her face in Jason’s shoulder to muffle her own screams. Either Henry or Bendy would go into the girls' room to comfort them. After a few days of this, the adults decided it was time to talk.

One evening after dinner, everyone took a seat in the living room. They managed to squeeze onto the couch and arm chairs as a companionable silence fell over the room. Jason was the one to break the silence. He was curious about what happened while they were alone with those ink creatures.

The girls looked at each other then at the adults. They began to tell them how nice Sammy was to them even though he looked scary. He even played music for them when they were upset. The adults looked shocked when they found out ‘Bendy’ came to the room and took Sammy away, leaving the kids alone with the moody angel.

Henry and Bendy's anger mixed together through their bond as the girls described how they were left on the 14th floor and got attacked by a Butcher Gang clone. They shouldn’t have been surprised that darned angel did something like that. Getting rescued by Norman was a bit of a shock though. The crazed way the projectionist acted when he was trapped there, made Henry think the man's mind was gone.

Sarah and Beth told their dad how happy they were when mommy finally found them. They didn’t want her to leave but there was a scary monster out in the hall! She lead the monster away so it wouldn’t get them.

Henry looked towards his sister when the girls described the monster that attacked the door. June looked at him for a few seconds, then stared down at her hands in her lap. Oh boy, he had so many questions, although he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answers.

They told them how Norman, Sammy, and even Alice tried to protect them from that strange lady that came to the room. At this point the adults came to save them. Bendy began to blush as the girls described how he saved them from the two headed monster. Again he was surprised at how accepting they were of the different forms he took and not once did they call him a monster. That made him so happy.

By the time the girls reached the end of their story, they looked tired. Jason decided it was time for bed. He took both girls by the hand and took them upstairs. While he was gone, the room grew uncomfortably quiet. June still refused to look at her brother and it was making him nervous.

“Sis?” June startled a bit but Henry got her attention. “I need you to tell me what happened, okay?” Henry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I know it's not going to be easy, but I really need to know. I promise, I can handle it.”

Bendy watched as June just stared at Henry. Finally, she agreed but she didn’t look happy about it. This made the little toon even more curious. He wondered if it had anything to do with how she got hurt.

A few minutes later, Jason came back downstairs. He sat down on the couch and hugged June. “Alright, let’s finish this. Henry and I hopped into ‘Lucy’ and headed for the studio…”

Jason and Henry told them how they ran into ‘Bendy’ and how Jason got dragged away from the fight. Henry thought he had the upper hand until the ink demon used the ink in his veins against him. Knocked him out. Jason chuckled and noted that he didn’t even see what choked him out. June just shook her head. Leave it up to her husband to find the humor in a dangerous situation like that.

Henry remembered waking up in an office with June nearby. Linda was there and was yelling at him about Joey. She took an ink slug out of a glass jar, walked behind him, then…nothing. Everything is a blank after that.

Everyone turned to June and waited for her to say something. She stared back at Henry with a pained expression on her face. She sighed softly and gave him a sad smile before telling her side of the story.

Henry knew it would be bad, but not like this. It hurt him to hear how he didn’t recognize her and practically hunted her down. How she put herself in danger just so the girls wouldn’t see him like that. He knew he hurt her. The evidence was written all over her body. To hear it first hand made him feel very angry with himself. He felt Bendy's gloved hand on his forearm. The toon squeezed softly to get his attention.

“Henry. This wasn’t your fault. It's just like what happened to me, remember?” Henry wanted to believe that, he really did, but it was hard. He knew deep down, he'd never do anything to intentionally hurt his sister…and yet, she ended up in the hospital because of him. Henry stood up abruptly. He shut his eyes tightly and his body shook with pent up rage. He couldn’t believe Linda put him and his family through all of that because of something that wasn’t his fault. He almost killed his sister because of her!

Henry froze when he felt slim arms wrapping around him. He opened his eyes to find June and Bendy hugging him. Jason was standing at his side with his hand on his shoulder. No one said a word, but Henry got the message. He was not alone and no one blamed him for what happened. He couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks as he carefully rested his head on his sister's shoulder.

This wasn’t how they expected to end the evening, but no one was complaining. June knew Henry would take it hard. It's why she put it off for as long as she had. She was glad Bendy and Jason was there to help her. He needed to know that they were all here for him.

That night, everyone slept a little easier. The nightmares weren’t completely gone, but they were…manageable.

**OoOoOoOoO**

  
A few days went by and Bendy began to notice that June was acting strangely. Every time someone would try to help her with something, she would snap at them. She seemed to get angrier and angrier as the days went on. Even the girls noticed and it worried them. Bendy and the girls would ask if she was okay and she would always put on a strained smile and say she was alright. They didn’t believe her.

Then one day, it all came to a head. Bendy walked into the living room to find Henry and June in a heated argument. They were talking in hushed tones but Bendy could see how angry June was getting. Henry was trying to calm her down, but it wasn’t working. All of a sudden, she yelled at him.

“Look, I can do this myself. I don’t need help all the time!” She waved one hand around while the other gripped her cane tightly. She was swaying slightly on her good foot.

“I know you don’t June-Bug. Jay and I just want to help out until you get a little better. That's all.” Henry had his hands up in a placating manner. She wasn’t having it.

“You guys don’t get it! I'm FINE!” Bendy winced at the tone of her voice. He'd never heard her yell like this before, not even when she was angry at him. At one point he thought she was going to hit Henry. The little toon didn’t understand why she was so upset.

“STOP TREATING ME LIKE AN INVILID!” Henry grimaced. He placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to explain that if they made her feel that way, they didn’t mean it. She pulled away from him and hobbled towards the kitchen. She passed Bendy without saying a word and went out the backdoor.

Henry sighed and ran his hand down his face. He sat down on the couch just as Bendy walked up to him. By the concerned look on the Toon’s face, he must have witnessed the fight.

“Henry? What’s wrong with Aunt June?” Henry frowned slightly. He looked towards the backdoor before looking his friend in the eye.

“June is fiercely independent. She's used to doing a lot of things for herself. In order to recover, she needs a little help…” he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “but she wants to do things on her own like she used to. She can’t right now and it's frustrating her.” Henry reached out and ruffled his fingers between Bendy's horns. “She just needs time to adjust. Believe me, I know how she feels.”

Bendy stared down at the floor as he thought about what Henry said. He suppose he could understand why she's so angry. He just hoped that she wouldn’t be like this for too long. He didn’t like seeing her upset.

**-Later that Evening-**

Bendy tossed and turned all night. He had a hard time sleeping. He kept thinking about what Henry said and the argument he had with June. She barely said two words to Henry or Jason all night. It was an awkward evening for everyone.

At some point, he decided to give up and just lay there while staring at the ceiling. It didn’t help that he was getting a dull ache through the bond from Henry. That fight really shook his friend up and June giving him the cold shoulder really hurt him. Bendy wished he could do something to help. He just didn’t know what to do.

Bendy's thoughts were interrupted by a shuffling sound coming from down the hall. He knew it was pretty late and everyone should be asleep. The little toon let his curiosity get the better of him. He slipped out of bed and crept towards the door. He poked his head out and saw June heading for the stairs. Bendy waited a few minutes, then followed her. He went downstairs and heard sounds coming from the kitchen.

The toon tip toed towards the kitchen and peaked around the doorframe. June was rummaging through the cabinets. She seemed to have the kettle on as she pulled out a teacup and some tea bags. _‘Huh, I guess she just had a taste for some tea.’_ He thought as he watched her move around the kitchen. He could hear her grumbling to herself and he wondered what she was looking for.

“Where is it? Where is it?” she opened one cabinet after another and slammed them shut when she didn’t find what she was looking for. “Grrr, this is why I didn’t want them in my kitchen! They move stuff around and I can’t find anything!” She started to check the upper cabinets when- “Ah hah, here it is!”

June steadied herself with her cane in one hand and went to reach up into the cabinet with the other. All of a sudden, she hissed out in pain just as her fingers brushed up against whatever she was reaching for. She began to panic when the pain from her ribs shot through her side and caused her legs to buckle. June would have fallen if not for a very large hand gently gripping her side. She collapsed against a body that seemed to loom behind her…

Bendy could see the moment June was in trouble when she reached into the cabinet. He transformed without even thinking and caught her before she could fall. He placed his hand around her waist and had her lean against him for support. He breathed a sigh of relief that he got to her in time, then he looked into the cabinet to see what she was reaching for. It turned out to be a container full of sugar. His smile grew a little wider as he pulled it out. He was happy that he could do something to help her. He went to hand the sugar to June when he noticed something was wrong.

She was shaking like a leaf. HE grabbed her! HE had her pinned against his body. She was trapped in the yellowing halls of the Studio with the ink demon! His mere touch making her skin crawl. June began to panic. She just escaped this place. She didn’t want to be lost and trapped here again!

“Get away from me….get away from me…GET AWAY FROM ME!!” June screamed and pushed at the body that was standing too close to her. The hand that gripped her side let her go and the looming presence backed away.

Bendy was caught by surprise when June started to freak out. Her screams scared him and he let her go. He backed away until he was standing on the other side of the kitchen, near the stove. She was staring at him with wide, frightened eyes and her back was pressed against the counter. Bendy didn’t mean to scare her. He just wanted to help. He just… made things worse. He whined softly and covered his face with his massive hands. He slid down to the floor and curled in on himself. He didn’t mean to hurt her…

June was left breathing heavily. How-how did she get back to this hellish place? She didn’t remember coming back here… Did the demon drag her back? No, that's not right…none of this is right.

She blinked a few times before she took a real good look at the room she was standing in. There were no yellowing wood or ink covered walls. She was standing in her own kitchen. It wasn't dimly lit and she didn’t hear moans and groans of inky creatures roaming the halls. The only sounds she heard was…whining? June looked towards the stove and saw the ink demon! No, wait…it’s not the same creature that haunts her nightmares. It was…oh no...

June gripped her cane tightly and hobbled over to the large body curled up on the floor. Bendy was sitting on the floor with his hands covering his face. He was making soft, keening noises. Seeing him like this and knowing it was all her fault, broke her heart. She reached out and touched his large hand. This caused him to jump slightly. He sat there and stared at her.

“Bendy, sweetheart, I-I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I didn’t mean to-“ She stepped back, shaking her head. “It wasn’t you. You didn’t scare me…it-it wasn’t you…” June hung her head. She just couldn’t look at him, look at what she'd done. Tears were running down her cheeks. “I’m not scared of you. I'm scared of him…”

Bendy watched her as she stood in the middle of the kitchen and cried. He never thought he'd see her break down like this. She always seem so strong. Even in the Studio! She was hurt and still did everything in her power to protect her family. Ever since they made it out and back home, he hadn't seen her shed a single tear…until now. The urge to comfort her was growing stronger by the second. But would she let him? Only one way to find out.

Bendy stood up and slowly approached June. He carefully wrapped his thick arms around her and curled his body over her. She stiffened in his arms and he thought she was going to push him away again. She sobbed softly and leaned into him. She dropped her cane and tried to wrap her arms around him. He was a little too wide for her to get her arms around him, but at least she tried. The toon could feel the warmth of her tears against his chest. It made his own chest feel tight with emotions he couldn’t describe.

He wasn’t sure how long he held her like this but he could feel her starting to pull away. He let her go. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel trapped. June leaned back and was trying to wipe her tears away. She looked up at Bendy and apologized again for the way she acted.

Bendy just smiled and shook his head. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. He rarely speaks when he's in this form, mostly because it's painful. In this case, he's willing to make an exception.

“ **YoU…nEeD TiMe to HeAl.** ” June was startled to hear his voice. Bendy reached up and pointed to his head. “ **HeRE**.” Then he lowered his hand until it was pressed against his chest, where his heart would be. “ **AnD hERe.** ”

June stared at him for a moment as she let what he said sink in. She smiled and wiped away a few more stray tears. “You’re right Bendy. Heh, you're right.” She chuckled and shook her head. “When did you get so wise?” The large toon graced her with a smug smile. That look made her laugh. “Alright, alright smart guy.”

They both jumped when the kettle started to whistle. June had forgot she turned it on. She sighed and looked up at Bendy. “Would you mind helping me make a cup of tea?” The toon's face lit up and he nodded. “Thank you. I need to sit down. My ankle is killing me.” Bendy pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and helped her to the seat. He picked up her cane and handed it to her before turning the kettle off. Soon he had fixed her a cup of tea and he was happy to see her smile again.

“Oh Bendy, one more thing-“ June pointed to a cabinet right behind him. “In that cabinet, there's a cookie jar up there. Can you bring it down for me, please?” He brought the jar down and placed it in the middle of the table. “Thank you. Why don't you join me.” June said with a soft smile on her face.

Within a few minutes, Bendy was back to normal, and sitting at the table with June. She offered him a cookie from the jar and he was happily munching on it. He watched as she sipped her tea. As happy as he was that she was feeling better, there was something that was bothering him.

“Um, Aunt June?” She looked up from her teacup.

“Hmm?”

“You said that I didn’t scare you…that you were scared of HIM. Who are you talking about?” June lowered her head for a moment. She sighed and turned her teacup with the tips of her fingers.

“It's the other Bendy. He-He really scared me.” She told him how she punched Linda and managed to run away. She didn’t know where she was going but she knew she had to get out of there. ‘Bendy’ snuck up behind her. He grabbed her face and she couldn’t breathe. She thought he was going to kill her. She had never been so scared in all her life.

Bendy couldn’t believe it. No wonder she was so shaken. He wished she had said something before. He would have been more careful.

“I don’t understand. Why did you help him if he scared you so much?”

June's brows knitted together in concentration. She tried to find the right words to explain her actions. “I know this is going to sound strange, but when I heard him whining in pain…I thought about you.” Bendy looked at her as though she lost her mind. “Linda tortured him just like she did the others. It-It just didn't feel right to leave him like that.” June shrugged her shoulders. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” She chuckled nervously.

Bendy guessed it all worked out in the end. He still didn’t trust that other Bendy. He was dangerously unpredictable. They all made it out alive. That's all that mattered to him.

“To be honest Aunt June, he scared us for a long time after we escaped the Studio the first time.” He played with the cookie in his gloved hand. “Henry had nightmares of him for weeks, but it'll get better. I promise.”

June smiled and took another sip of her tea. “Y'know, I never did thank you for looking after my brother when he was trapped there the first time. So, thank you.” Her sincerity caught him by surprise.

“Ah w-well, we saved each other.” They both chuckled. Just then, sounds of footsteps caught both their attention. They turned towards the entrance to see a very sleepy Jason and Henry standing there.

“Jay? Bro? What are you guys doing up? Did we wake you?”

Jason shook his head. “Nah. I turned over and you weren’t there. I got worried and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Henry was rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “I felt some really strong emotions from you, Bendy. It woke me up. Is everything alright?”

The little toon smiled sheepishly. “ Aww geez, sorry about that Henry. I was just helping Aunt June out and things got a little-“ the toon glanced at her quickly. “intense.” Neither Bendy nor June would say anymore than that.

“Hey guys.” Both men looked at June. She took a deep breath and continued. “I’m sorry for the way I've been acting the past couple of days. I've just been in a bad mood.” She looked at both of them. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you two. I'm so used to doing things on my own. So when I can’t do that, it frustrated me!” June looked utterly disgusted with herself.

Henry walked over to her. He helped her out of her chair and wrapped her up in a warm hug. “I know sis. Believe me, I've been through this. I understand.”

June giggled when Henry passed her off to Jason. He hugged her and kissed her on her forehead, then on her nose, then her lips. Neither one said a word, but then again, they didn’t have to. They both knew how each other felt.

Bendy couldn’t help the blush that crept up his cheeks from watching the two of them get all lovey dovey. Truthfully, he was just glad that she was going to be okay.

“Alright you two, why don’t you take that mushy stuff up to your room!” Henry announced with a loud yawn. Jason and June laughed.

“Hey, this is my house old man. I can kiss my husband as much as I want.” Bendy made a gagging noise and June shot him a playful glare. “Oh c'mon! Not you too.” The little toon chuckled as he handed her the cane.

They all headed out of the kitchen and into the living room. June stopped at the foot of the stairs and sighed. She wasn’t sure if she had the strength to hobble up those stairs. ‘Maybe I should sleep on the couch tonight.’ she thought. Before she could say anything, Jason scooped her off her feet. “Jason! You put me down right now! You hear me! Put me do-mff!”

Jason kissed her and that shut her up. After that she didn’t protest as he carried her up the stairs. Henry and Bendy were left standing in the living room, shaking their heads.

“Henry? Are they always like that?”

“Yes.” Henry deadpanned. This caused the toon to chuckle. “Alright bud, let’s head to bed.” The little toon agreed and they headed up the stairs.

**-The Next Morning-**

Henry called his job to let them know that he will be coming back in a couple of days. As much as he wanted to stay and help his sister more, he knew it was time to head back home. He was just worried about her.

“So, it's almost time for you to head back home huh.” June was a little sad to see her brother and nephew go, but she knew he had a job he needed to get back to.

“Yeah. I've practically used up all my vacation days.” Henry chuckled. “Tomorrow morning we'll go into town and see if we can catch a Greyhound. We should get home by that evening.”

“Oh shoot! I forgot we took my car to get here. Sorry bro.”

Henry waved off her apology. “Don’t worry about it. I'm sure Bendy'll enjoy the trip.”

Jason walked into the kitchen just in time to hear the tail end of the siblings' conversation. “Hey Henry, you heading home tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I can give you a lift. I took on a job out that way. I can take you and Bendy home.”

“Really? Are you sure Jay? What about June?” his sister was practically glaring daggers at him. He ignored her as he waited for Jason's reply.

“Oh, don't worry about Juniper. I arranged for someone to help her out for a little while.” June looked completely shocked.

“You WHAT?! Who in the heck did you get to help me out?” She had one hand on her hip and the other gripping her cane. She looked like she wanted to attack her husband.

“I asked my mom if she could stay with us for a little while. I told her that you got hurt and need a little help around the house. She said she’d be more than happy to help.” Jason was all smiles while June's face went completely blank. Henry thought it was quite amusing.

“Jay.” June didn’t look angry, but her tone of voice betrayed her feeling. “You call your mother and tell her that she doesn’t need to come. I'll be just fine!”

Jason’s smile dropped and he stared at her with an unamused expression on his face. June squirmed slightly under his intense glare. “Look, the girls are starting school in a week. You're gonna need all the help you can get. Besides…she’s already on her way, so stop being so stubborn and accept the help.”

June rubbed her temple with the tips of her fingers. She did promise to let them help her. “Alright. I guess it won’t be so bad. The girls will get to spend more time with their grandma.”

Jason gave her a one arm hug. “See! I knew you'd see things my way!”

June punched him in the arm, hard. Jason winced and rubbed at the spot. “Don’t push your luck buster!” Henry chuckled. Better Jason get the punch in the arm than him.

“Oh by the way-“ Henry reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to June. “when you’re ready, that's the address to the Studio. I'm sure the girls would love to write to Norman and the others.” Both parents stared at the piece of paper for a moment before a soft smile tugged at their lips. The thought that their girls would become pen pals with ink creatures seemed so surreal. No one would believe it.

Later that afternoon, Bendy had the pleasure of meeting the girls' grandmother. She was a short woman with light reddish brown hair done in a long braid that went down her back. She was pleasantly surprised to see Henry here.

“Henry? As I live and breathe! It's been ages since the last time I saw you!” She grabbed him by his arm and pulled him in for a crushing hug. She was surprisingly strong for someone her age.

“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Anderson.” Henry hugged her back.

The girls were excited to introduce Bendy to their grandmother. They told her he was their cousin and she seemed genuinely surprised. After getting over the initial shock that he was a living cartoon, they had a very lively conversation. By the end of the day, Bendy told Henry that he really liked Grandma Anderson!

* * *

 

The next morning, Henry made sure he packed all their things. He didn’t want to forget anything. There was one last lively breakfast with everyone before Jason went out to warm up ‘Lucy’. The girls hugged their cousin and made him promise he'd come back soon. Bendy told them that nothing could keep him away from his family. He's definitely coming back.

June made sure she got a hug from the little toon next. She told him he was welcome in her home anytime. “Next time you come back, we'll do something fun, okay? Hopefully I'll be walking better by then.” Bendy nodded vigorously. He couldn’t wait!

Henry hugged his nieces, then his sister. He made a promise to spend more time with them. “I’ll be checking up on ya sis. Oh, and don’t give their grandmother a hard time, okay?” He smirked at the guilt that played across her face. “I’ll try.” June said with a chuckle.

Grandma Anderson managed to give Bendy and Henry one more crushing hug before leaving the house. The little toon though Henry looked funny as he smiled and grimaced at the same time.

Henry threw his bag in the backseat of ‘Lucy’ as Bendy hopped in the front seat. He let the little toon sit on his lap so he could see out the window. Jason waited for them to put their seatbelt on, then the big rig lurched forward and they were on their way.

“I didn't think they were gonna let you two leave the house!” Jason said with amusement.

Henry chuckled. “They almost didn’t. I had to make a few promises before June would let me go.”

“Yeah! It was the same with me and the girls.” Bendy chimed in.

“Well, y'all better keep those promises or June is going to drag you back here by your ears.” They all laughed, but deep down, they knew she would do something like that.

When Henry left his home to come with his sister, he never thought things would get as crazy at it did. In the end, everyone was safe and the threat was dealt with. He no longer felt like he had to look over his shoulder all the time. Everyone was safe and his little buddy gained a family. He couldn’t ask for anymore than that.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a really bad case of writer's block, so it took me awhile to work this one out. I hope y'all enjoy this.


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